HOUSTON, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Westlake Chemical Corporation (NYSE: WLK) announced today that it will perform planned maintenance and an expansion of the Petro 2 ethylene unit at its complex in Lake Charles, LA in the first quarter of 2013. This expansion will increase ethane-based ethylene capacity by approximately 230 - 240 million pounds annually in support of the Company's ethylene integration strategy. The unit is expected to be down approximately 50 days for the work to be completed.

Westlake Chemical Corporation (WLK)
Westlake Chemical Corporation is an international manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and building products with headquarters in Houston, Texas. The company's range of products includes: ethylene, polyethylene, styrene, propylene, caustic, VCM, PVC resin and PVC building products including PVC pipe, windows and fence. For more information, including career opportunities, visit the company's website at http://www.westlake.com.

The statements in this release relating to the planned expansion, as well as any other matters that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially. For more detailed information about factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, please refer to Westlake's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, which was filed in February 2012.